‘Like Ravana in disguise’: BJP accuses opposition forces of plotting 'regime change'
NEW DELHI: BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi on Wednesday accused certain opposition forces of attempting to destabilise India under the guise of legitimate public demands, alleging that their ultimate objective was “regime change” through violence and conspiracy.Referring to the Prime Minister’s Vijayadashami address, Trivedi said certain forces were driven by three agendas: exploiting power for personal gain, creating divisions within society, and harbouring hatred towards Indian culture and religion.“These are the forces that seek to divide society, plunder state resources, and harbor animosity toward Indian culture and the Hindu faith. They organize conferences calling for the 'eradication of Sanatan Dharma,' spearhead global campaigns to 'dismantle Hindutva,' and propagate misleading narratives about India’s institutions.
These are the very forces that do not wish to see India progress,” he said.Trivedi questioned the recurring demands and allegations concerning institutions such as LIC, HAL, SBI and SEBI, as well as vaccines, electronic voting machines (EVMs) and electoral rolls.Comparing the repeated demands to Ravana’s ten heads, he said, “In reality, much like Ravana, who possessed ten heads, if one head were severed, another would immediately emerge.
Their demands are similar: satisfy one demand, and another will promptly take its place.”He argued that the common language used across various movements could help identify what he described as their underlying agenda. Drawing a parallel with Ravana disguising himself as an ascetic before abducting Sita, Trivedi alleged that certain forces were concealing their intentions behind seemingly legitimate demands.“In the Ramayana, when Ravana arrived to abduct Mata Sita, he did not appear in his true, demonic form, but rather disguised himself as an ascetic. Today, various forces are operating under such disguises, cloaked in deception. Their true objective is not the specific demands they present... their singular goal is 'regime change' through violent conflict and calculated conspiracy,” he said.Trivedi criticised those claiming the legacy of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray for allegedly aligning with forces that seek to undermine Indian religion and culture.“It is truly bizarre that those who claim to be the rightful heirs to the legacy of the highly revered Balasaheb Thackeray have now aligned themselves with the very forces that seek to destroy our religion and culture, and they state this with great conviction that 'Let him come from Vietnam, then 'regime change' will happen',” he said.Trivedi also questioned what Sanjay Raut knew about Rahul Gandhi that even Congress leaders were allegedly unaware of.
“What is this 'lead,' this 'secret,' or this 'information' that Sanjay Raut possesses regarding Rahul Gandhi, something that even the Congress party's own leaders are unaware of? What kind of conspiratorial threads are these?” he asked.He further questioned the significance of references to developments following overseas visits, citing remarks about dropping a “hydrogen bomb”, predicting a “tsunami” and Raut’s comments.
Trivedi alleged that such statements pointed to the involvement of unidentified and suspicious entities seeking to destabilise India.“Whether it is talk of dropping a 'hydrogen bomb' upon returning from abroad, or predicting a 'tsunami' after such a visit, and now these remarks by Sanjay Raut, all of this suggests that these actions are being orchestrated by unknown, suspicious entities, forces from across the border that seek to incite unrest within our nation,” he said.Expressing confidence in the government's position, Trivedi said the alleged attempt at “regime change” would fail under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, backed by public trust and a commitment to the country.The remarks come amid a political row over calls for “regime change” by opposition leaders and student activists during ongoing protests in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, All India Students Association (AISA) president Neha Bora and Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera have used or discussed the phrase at conferences and press briefings linked to the protests.Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray backed the calls, arguing that denying people the right to express their views through elections and protests would leave them with no option but to seek a change of government.
BJP on Tuesday also intensified its attack on Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his alleged visit to Vietnam amid opposition protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party shared a video on X that purportedly showed Rahul aboard a flight to Vietnam.